Snowboard Hook

ABSTRACT

A snowboard hook body is configured to assist a rider on a chairlift wearing a laced boot on a free foot to support a snowboard from the free foot at an open binding of the snowboard. The hook body has forward and rearward ends, opposite sides, a hook top, and a hook bottom. The hook body defines a boot mount at the rearward end thereof. The boot mount has a lace passageway extending transversely there through for receiving a span of bootlace to retain the hook body on a snowboard boot in transverse alignment with the received portion of bootlace. The hook body defines a hook blade at the forward end thereof. The hook blade extends upward from the hook bottom. The hook body defines a shank between the boot mount and the hook blade, wherein the height of the shank is below the height of the hook, establishing a reception area for receiving the portion of the open binding behind the hook blade.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The invention generally relates to boots and shoes and more specifically to an occupational or athletic shoe and an attachment there for. The invention relates to an attachment for boots to a device or appliance. A specific example is for attachment to a vehicle such as a snowboard or similar appliance with two bindings mounted to a single platform, where a user's boot is disconnected from the vehicle at a first mount or binding but it is desired to engage the boot to the vehicle by a second form of attachment.

Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

At ski areas, for both skiers and snowboard riders, a chairlift is a typical mode of travel up the mountain. For snowboard riders, the chairlift presents special difficulties because the chairlift operates in the expectation that all customers will retain their skis or snowboard on their feet. A skier can walk or slide through the waiting line to the chairlift without dismounting his skis. However, a snowboard rider typically must dismount his trailing foot from the trailing binding of the snowboard to enable walking through the lift line and positioning himself in front of an oncoming lift chair. Once the snowboard rider is seated on the chairlift, he is left with his snowboard hanging from only one foot, which tends to be an awkward situation. Yet, the snowboard rider would find it difficult to re-engage the open binding while on the chairlift.

Several solutions to this awkward situation have been tried, without reaching a fully satisfactory answer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,470 to Zazzi defined the problem in a limited way, pointing out that the snowboard rider could use his free toe to lift the dangling end of the snowboard, but this action often led to damaging the boot toe due to the sharpness of the snowboard's bottom edges. Zazzi proposed a toe guard for the boot that protected the boot toe from the bottom edges of the snowboard. The sole of the snowboard can be rested on the toe guard during the chairlift trip. However, the problem has still another, unrecognized dimension, which is that supporting the snowboard on a chairlift by a lifted toe is both uncomfortable and unstable over the long length of many a typical chairlift ride.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,575,252 to Smith proposed a rear shelf or rear notch on a snowboarding boot to support the snowboard during a lift ride. This proposal does not provide a stable attachment between the snowboard and the boot, as the snowboard easily can lose attachment with the rear shelf or notch of the boot. Achieving stable attachment with a snowboard can be challenging because neither binding is located near a central balance point of the snowboard. When one binding is open, the snowboard is considerably off balance and unstable. In contrast, the single binding on a ski is placed over a balance point, with the result that a ski is more stable and manageable while on a chairlift, despite being controlled through only one binding. Unlike the situation with a ski, a snowboard suspended from only one binding of a pair may tend to repose in a lower position at the end nearer the open binding. The rider may need to unduly shift or stretch to attach a rear notch of the boot with the snowboard.

It would be desirable for the snowboard rider to have a means for carrying the snowboard from both feet while on a chairlift for improved stability.

Further, it would be desirable to support the end of a snowboard near an open binding at a reliably determined position that establishes balance between the two feet.

Still further, it would be desirable to have a means for attaching to a snowboard near an open binding while on a chairlift, without undue shifting and stretching to establish the attachment.

Additionally, it would be desirable for any temporary attachment with a snowboard while on a chairlift to readily or even automatically unattach when the chairlift reaches the unloading station, thus ensuring that the rider's free foot is ready to re-engage with the open binding in the standard way.

To achieve the foregoing and other objects and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the method and apparatus of this invention may comprise the following.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Against the described background, it is therefore a general object of the invention to provide a reliable and easily managed supporting device for carrying the end of a snowboard nearest an open binding while the rider is traveling on a chairlift with a foot engaged in the opposite binding of the snowboard.

Another object is to enable a snowboard rider to have stability and control over the handling of a snowboard while the rider is on a chairlift with one foot disengaged from its binding.

A further object is to provide a carrying device for the end of a snowboard having an open binding while the rider is on a chairlift, wherein the carrying device operates with reasonable imperviousness to rider fatigue during sometimes lengthy chairlift rides.

Still another object is to provide a carrying attachment that can be joined to a snowboard boot to carry a snowboard from a binding that the boot is currently disengaged from.

A more specific object is to provide a carrying device for the end of a snowboard having an open binding while the rider is on a chairlift, wherein the carrying device readily attaches to a snowboard that is hanging lower at the end nearer the open binding.

Still another specific object is to provide a carrying device for the end of a snowboard having an open binding while the rider is on a chairlift, wherein the carrying device readily unattaches from the snowboard at the unloading station.

According to the invention, a snowboard hook body is an accessory attachment to a snowboard boot. The forward or distal end of the hook body is upwardly curved into a hooked shape, which may have a 90 degree arc as measured from a base line of the hook body as measured from a horizontal plane. The rearward or proximal end of the hook body is a housing that defines a cross passage to receive the forward span of the shoelace that is threaded across the toe of the snowboard boot. With the rear of the snowboard hook body supported from the shoelace, the toe of the boot supports the base of the hook body. Although the toe may slope below horizontal, it is close enough to support the hook body with an upward disposition of the hook's blade at the forward tip. The supported hook blade is used as an auxiliary support to attach to and carry a snowboard while on a chairlift.

According to another aspect of the Invention, the hook blade is configured to attach to a portion of the empty binding, while permitting the rider to unattach the hook blade rapidly and easily, when required. By engaging the empty binding, the hook body establishes a balanced control arrangement over the snowboard during the chairlift ride, similar to the control made possible during a descent when both of the rider's feet are engaged in the bindings.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a snowboard hook body assists a rider on a chairlift wearing a laced boot on a free foot to support a snowboard from the free foot at an open binding of the snowboard. The hook body defines a mounting means for mounting the hook body to a boot; an upstanding blade means at a distal end of the hook body for, in use, engaging behind a portion of an open binding of a snowboard to support the snowboard; and a pocket means proximal to the upstanding blade means for receiving, in use, a hooked portion of an open binding that is engaged by the blade means.

According to still another aspect of the invention, a snowboard hook body is configured to assist a rider on a chairlift wearing a laced boot on a free foot to support a snowboard from the free foot at an open binding of the snowboard. The hook body has forward and rearward ends, opposite sides, a hook top, and a hook bottom. The hook body defines a boot mount at the rearward end thereof. The boot mount has a lace passageway extending transversely there through for, in use, receiving a span of bootlace to retain the hook body on a snowboard boot in transverse alignment with the received portion of bootlace. The hook body defines a hook blade at the forward end thereof. The hook blade extends upward from the hook bottom as measured with the hook bottom on a horizontal plane. The hook body defines a shank between the boot mount and the hook blade, wherein the height of the shank is below the height of the hook, establishing a reception area for, in use when the hook blade is elevated to attach to the open binding, receiving the portion of the open binding behind the hook blade.

The invention further includes a hook blade or prong, as well as a shank, arranged such that during a chairlift ascent the shank supports the hook prong in an upward disposition by contact with the toe of the rider's boot, so that the rider will not become fatigued by having to consciously retain the hook prong in attachment with the binding.

The invention places the hook body in an elevated position, over the toe of the rider's boot, and the hook prong attaches to the snowboard in an elevated position, by the binding mounted on top of the snowboard. The attachment is easy to achieve while the rider is on a chairlift and the snowboard is suspended from the opposite, engaged binding. When the rider reaches the unloading station at the end of the chairlift ride, the unattachment of the hook prong from the open binding might be considered to be automatic and is accomplished as the ground contacts the snowboard and raises it relative to the hook body and boot. Thus, by structure and method of use, both attachment and retention during the chairlift ride and unattachment at the end of the chairlift ride are achieved by exploiting the dynamics of chairlift operations.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a snowboard hook body attached between a boot and a snowboard with open binding, with the snowboard, binding, and boot shown in phantom.

FIG. 2 is a magnified detail view of FIG. 1, showing the snowboard hook body attached to the boot and binding, with the boot and binding shown in phantom.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a snowboard hook body, taken from a top front left perspective.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a snowboard hook body, taken from a top rear right perspective.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a snowboard hook body, taken from a top front right perspective.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a snowboard hood body, taken from a bottom front perspective.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to improvements in means for supporting a snowboard while the snowboard rider is traveling on a chairlift with one foot disengaged from its binding on the snowboard such that this binding is open. References to a foot being engaged with a binding refer to standard or operative engagement such that the rider can use the binding in its intended way. The invention provides apparatus and method for temporarily linking the rider's free foot to the snowboard at the open binding. This connection of the Invention will be described as being an attachment but it is not the standard or operative engagement for using a binding. With reference to FIG. 1, this attachment or link is enabled by pre-placement of a snowboard hook body 10 on the rider's footwear, in a position where the hook body 10 can be deployed to engage the open binding 12 of snowboard 14. Establishing such an attachment or link between the open binding 12 and the footwear or boot 16 supports the snowboard 14 with stability suitable for riding on a chairlift. Each of the rider's feet is linked to the snowboard at a binding, with the second foot being housed in a second binding in the standard manner, while the first foot is hooked or attached to a first, open binding in a temporary manner.

The magnified view of FIG. 2 shows details of attaching and using the snowboard hook body 10 with a boot 16. The rider's boot 16 typically is equipped with a lacing system for closing the front of the boot. Lacing systems vary in construction, although in most there tends to be a cross pattern of the lace 18 between opposite sides of the boot. As examples, some laces might be hand-pulled and tied, while others may employ a boa system with a crankable dial that tightens laces by winding them into a coil. Substantially all lacing systems include at least a portion thereof that extends down the front of a boot to near the toe area, where the lowest span 20 of the lace crosses the boot from side-to-side. This lowest span 20 provides a preferred joining point for attaching the snowboard hook body 10. Alternative types of joining points can substitute for a lace and may be added to the boot as required to receive and carry the snowboard hook body 10. One such alternative joining point is a span of lace-like cord or cable that is attached to the boot, such as by stitching, rivets, or looping through or around a chosen part of the boot. Another alternative joining point is a ring or buckle that is attached to the boot, leaving a portion of the ring or buckle exposed to receive and be attached to the snowboard hook body 10. Alternative joining points may need to be added with professional assistance, such as by a repair shop. For convenient reference, the term, “lace” or “bootlace” will apply to all varieties of front closures or other carriers on a snowboarding boot, with the intention to include other closures and carriers that provide an attachment point for the snowboard hook body 10. A conventional span 20 of a lacing system has the advantage of being suitably located near the toe of the boot for use, carried as part of the lacing system in a suitably strong mounting, and in most cases not requiring significant modification of the boot.

With additional reference to FIGS. 3-6, the snowboard hook body 10 is configured to attach to both a snowboard boot and to an open binding on a snowboard. Accordingly, the snowboard hook body 10 is best described as being composed of three elements. The first element is a boot mount 22 and is located at a rearward end of the hook body 10. A transverse passage 24 extends through the boot mount 22 in an orientation that may be referred to as side-to-side. This orientation is desirable so that a transverse alignment with the received portion of bootlace or similar joining point will retain the hook body 10 against sideways rolling, keeping the hook prong or blade 26 pointing generally upward from the toe of the boot. The orientation of the passage is functionally suitable to engage a bootlace or other joining point for carrying the hook body 10 over the toe of a snowboard boot without substantial sideways tipping or rolling. In the preferred configuration shown in the drawings, the boot mount 22 has a generally cylindrical configuration, with the cylinder lying on its side with its central axis transverse, or side-to-side, with respect to the length of the hook body 10. The cylindrical configuration of boot mount 22 has the advantage of being non-marring to the boot, especially when the boot mount 22 is pressed against the boot.

Further considering the cylindrical configuration, the transverse passage 24 is approximately collinear with the center axis of the cylinder. The transverse passage 24 is suitably sized to receive a bootlace. One method of using the transverse passage is to thread the bootlace 18 axially through the passage 24, place the hook body 10 in the path of the lowest lace span 20, and then lace the boot upward from there. While this method is suitable, there are other suitable methods of applying the hook body 10 to the bootlace.

The boot mount 22 may be configured with a lateral lace slot 28 extending between a front-facing external surface of the boot mount 22 and the transverse passage 24. One wall of the slot may be regarded as the top wall, while the other wall of the slot may be regarded as the bottom wall. Conventionally, the slot is considered to have a length, width, and depth. The length of slot 28, due to its orientation, is the side-to-side dimension of the hook body or, at least, the side-to-side dimension of boot mount 22. Another measure is that the slot is of the same or similar length as the passage 24. The width of the slot 28 is the distance between the two walls that define the slot, which in this instance have been referred to as the top and bottom walls. As further described, below, the width is narrower than the diameter of the passageway 24. The depth of the slot is the distance from the outer surface of the boot mount to the wall of passage 24. The outer opening of the lateral lace slot 28 is best oriented to face forward, which is the orientation that is functionally most suitable to receive and retain the lace 18 in the passage 24. In the drawings, the slot 28 opens generally toward the front or distal end of the hook body 10. The bootlace 18 can be inserted into the slot by placing the boot mount 22 behind the transverse lace span 20 and pulling the hook body forward against the span 20. It may be possible to allow the tautness of the span 20 to slide the lace sideways through the slot 28. The span 20 can enter the passage 24 by such sideways motion through the slot.

Several features of the slot 28 help to retain the bootlace within passage 24. One feature is that the width of slot 28 is narrower than the diameter of passage 24. The greater diameter of the passage creates retention edges 30 where the narrower slot interfaces with the taller passage. Part of the bootlace in the passage is held behind the retention edges 30, which retains the bootlace against exiting through the slot even if span 20 comes into a position that might allow such an exit.

The slot further retains the bootlace against loss by having an irregular or nonlinear profile in length. In simplest configuration, the length of slot 28 is bent at least at one position in its length. The length of the slot may be bent at a plurality of positions in its length, eventually configuring the length of the slot as a curve. However, a single bend that configures the slot into at least two differently angled subsections can be sufficient to make the slot self-locking. Thus, both the top and bottom walls of the slot are formed of at least two nonparallel subsections arranged at angles that intersect near the center of the slot. In the preferred configuration shown in the drawings, the subsections of each slot wall meet at a high point 32 near the center of the slot length, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5. Where the height of the high point is similar to the width of the slot, the bent lower wall creates a locking function with respect to a bootlace that is taut and not easily flexed. As an example, the high point of the lower wall effectively blocks the width of the slot, much like a retention edge. The high point of the upper wall is at a lengthwise position corresponding to the high point of the lower wall, which allows a suitably flexible portion of a bootlace to conform to the bend of the slot and pass through it, where the height of the arc of the lower wall is at least as large as the width of the slot. With an increasing number of bends eventually producing a curved slot, a similar result can be obtained by bending the length of the bootlace into a curve. Accordingly, the bent slot prevents accidental loss of the hook body 10 from its mounting on a bootlace. The forward opening position of the slot 28 supplements the bent locking feature, as the opening of the slot cannot be readily moved to a position where the tautness of the bootlace would free the lace from the passage.

The second element of the snowboard hook body 10 is shank 32, which extends between the boot mount 22 and the hook blade 26. The shank 32 supports the hook blade 26 at a forward location near the front of the boot. In such a forward position, the hook blade 26 is oriented to reach and attach to the open binding 12. Additionally, the shank 32 establishes a space or pocket between the boot mount 22 and the hook blade 26, which serves as a reception area for a portion of the open binding 12 as the hook blade 26 is elevated to attach to the binding. The shank also assists in stabilizing the hook blade 26 in an upward position. The shank has a bottom face with a flat portion 34 that can rest against the boot toe to help stabilize the hook body 10 with the hook blade 26 extending upwardly from the boot toe. The contact area between the shank 32 and boot toe also can spread the weight of the snowboard when carried on hook body 10.

The third element of the snowboard hook body 10 is the hook blade 26. In some embodiments, best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the binding will include a heel hoop 36 that is configured to extend around a rider's engaged boot heel during snowboarding. When riding on a chairlift with one binding open, the hook blade 26 can attach to a part of the open binding such as the heel hoop 36 to support an end of the snowboard from the binding. A particular advantage of attaching to the heel hoop 36 or another part of the binding 12 is that the binding is elevated above the snowboard 14. At the same time, the snowboard 14 is suspended from the opposite, occupied binding and is likely to sag at least slightly at the end having the open binding. Engaging the hook blade 26 with an elevated structure of the open binding 12 typically can be easier than trying to directly engage an edge of the snowboard 14. When the rider reaches the unloading station at the end of the chairlift, snowboard boot 16 has improved room to drop, thereby unattaching the hook blade 26 from strap 36 or from any other component of binding 12.

As described, the hook body 10 is configured to be carried in a coordinated position with respect to a snowboard boot 16 and a snowboard binding 12. Each boot 12 can carry a hook body 10 so that either end of a snowboard can be supported from such a hook body 10. Attaching a hook body 10 to a boot 16 is rapidly done by sliding the boot mount behind the bottom span 20 of the bootlace, cable, or other similar elongated member used to close the boot. The elongated member will enter and slide into the slot 28 on the front face of the boot mount 22, sliding into the transverse passage 24 and being retained therein. The hook body 10 can be rotated on the elongated member to place the shank 32 in a forwardly extending position, where the bottom 34 of the shank is resting on the boot toe. The shank supports the hook blade 26 at a forward offset from the boot mount 22, such that the hook blade 26 can be inserted under an element of the binding 12, such as the heel hoop 36. With the hook blade 26 attached to an edge of the open binding, the rider has little concern or stress over keeping the snowboard supported throughout the chairlift ride. At the unloading station, the rider's natural stepping action often is sufficient to drop the hook blade 26 from attachment with the binding 12. Alternatively, the rider can drop his free foot to unattach the hook body 10 from the binding 12 during the approach to the unloading station. Once the hook body 10 of the free foot is unattached from the open binding, the free foot can be inserted into the open binding in the standard way for riding the snowboard.

When the hook blade 26 is in upstanding position, it is ready to hook the heel hoop or other edge of the binding. The upstanding position of the hook blade is one of the natural positions of the snowboard hook. The interface between the hook and the lace span 20 ensures that the hook cannot tilt or roll sideways on the mounting to the boot. However, because the snowboard hook 10 can be mounted to the boot on a single span of bootlace, it remains possible that the hook 10 can pivot up and backwards on the span of bootlace. If this should happen, it remains an easy matter to correct the hook's position by, for example, such an easy maneuver as lifting the foot and flipping the hook down by hand. When the hook blade 26 is referred to as being in an upstanding position, this position is relative to the base 34 of the hook being on a horizontal surface or being against the boot top. If desired, this position can be further protected by securing the bottom 34 of the hook 10 to the top of the boot. A spot of adhesive or a length of double sided tape can secure the bottom 34 to the boot top. Another variety of upstanding blade in structure of the hook 10 replaces the single prong 26 of the hook with a dual or omni prong structure. A dual structure may employ prongs 26 extending in two or more directions, such as both up and down, allowing either prong to be the upstanding one. An omni structure may employ infinite prongs extending in infinite directions, effectively replacing the single prong with a disc that can operate as a hook around the entire circumference of the disc. A single prong 26 is the preferred embodiment of the upstanding hook blade because a single prong has good ability to fit behind binding straps or other structures with minimal interference.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be regarded as falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims that follow. 

1. (canceled)
 2. (canceled)
 3. The snowboard hook body of claim 10, wherein: said lace passageway is of a first diameter; and said first width of said slot is smaller than said first diameter of the lace passageway, thereby creating at least one retention edge where the slot interfaces with the lace passageway.
 4. (canceled)
 5. The snowboard hook body of claim 10, wherein: said slot top and bottom walls are nonlinear by a distance at least equal to said first width, thereby providing a lock against loss of a straight span of bootlace
 6. A snowboard hook body for assisting a rider on a chairlift wearing a laced boot on a free foot to support a snowboard from the free foot at an open binding of the snowboard, comprising: a hook body of defined length, width, and height, defining a hook blade at a distal end thereof and defining a transverse lace passageway at a proximal end thereof, suitably sized to receive, in use, a span of bootlace of said boot, interacting with said passageway to mount the hook body on the boot and to maintain the hook body against sideways roll with respect to the boot; and said hook body defines a shank on a proximal side of said hook blade, said shank configured with a bottom face suitably sized, in use, to support the hook body on the boot and to maintain the hook body in stable position with respect to the boot.
 7. The snowboard hook body of claim 6, wherein: said hook body defines a hook bottom wall, in use positioned atop said boot, and defines a hook blade at a distal end thereof, extending upwardly from said hook bottom wall with respect to the position of the hook bottom wall atop said boot.
 8. The snowboard hook body of claim 7, wherein: the height of said shank is below the height of said hook blade, establishing a reception area for, in use when hooking a portion of an open binding, receiving the portion of the open binding behind the hook blade.
 9. A snowboard hook body for assisting a rider on a chairlift wearing a laced boot on a free foot to support a snowboard from the free foot at an open binding of the snowboard, comprising: a hook body having mounting means for mounting the hook body to said boot; an upstanding hook blade at a distal end of said hook body for, in use, engaging behind a portion of an open binding of a snowboard to support the snowboard; a shank on a proximal side of said hook blade, said shank configured with a bottom face suitably sized, in use, to support the hook body on said boot and to maintain the hook body in stable position with respect to the boot; and a pocket proximal to said upstanding blade for receiving, in use, a hooked portion of an open binding that is engaged by said blade.
 10. A snowboard hook body for assisting a rider on a chairlift wearing a laced boot on a free foot to support a snowboard from the free foot at an open binding of the snowboard, comprising: a hook body disposed on a longitudinal axis between forward and rearward ends thereof, having opposite sides and a bottom face, defining a hook blade at said forward end thereof, defining a boot mount at said rearward end thereof, and defining a shank between said hook blade and said boot mount; wherein the boot mount defines a lace passageway extending transversely to said longitudinal axis between said opposite sides for, in use, receiving a span of bootlace of a snowboard boot to retain the hook body on the snowboard boot with the longitudinal axis of said hook body extending transversely to the received portion of bootlace; and wherein the boot mount defines a transverse slot between a slot top wall and a slot bottom wall that are spaced apart by a first width, said transverse slot extending between the opposite sides of the hook body and between a rearward opening at said lace passageway and a forward opening at a front face of the boot mount, whereby in use, the lace passageway can receive said transverse span of bootlace by the span of bootlace being slid sideways through said transverse slot from said forward opening through said rearward opening thereof; wherein the path of the transverse slot is nonlinear between the opposite sides of the hook body, the slot top wall and slot bottom wall forming a common bend reducing the available width of the slot to, in use, resist exit of the bootlace from the lace passageway by sliding passage of a straight span of the bootlace; said hook blade extending upward from said bottom face as measured with the bottom face in a horizontal plane; and wherein the height of the shank is below the height of the hook blade, establishing a reception area for, in use when the hook blade is elevated to attach to the open binding, receiving the portion of the open binding behind the hook blade. 